The 1999 Brazilian Grand Prix
Interlagos, 9th-11th April
10th Anniversary Race

TV screenshots

Sunday - race

Stewart-Ford notes and quotes

• Rubens Barrichello retired from his home Grand Prix with an engine failure after leading the race for 25 laps. He was holding down third place at the time of his retirement.
• Johnny Herbert retired with hydraulic failure after 15 laps while running in seventh place.
• The Stewart-Ford team's performance throughout this weekend has been very encouraging illustrated in particular by Rubens qualifying in third.

Johnny Herbert, Car No.17 (SF3-03):

"There was bit of confusion at the start because Coulthard stalled on the grid and I picked the wrong line. I was running well and gained a few places when Hill and Wurz touched. I was up to seventh when I lost all hydraulic pressure and that was the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix for me."

Rubens Barrichello, Car No.16 (SF3-04):

"Leading the race took me back to my Formula Three days. I made a good start and I was running at a good pace up until the first stop. I lost a bit of consistency with the second set of tyres and I was probably not running well enough to win but good enough to be on the podium. I think we showed that we can race up at the front today. I could sense the crowd getting behind me, so it's sad for them and for the whole team that we didn't get to the finish"

Paul Stewart, SGP Deputy Chairman:

"We've proved a lot this weekend not the least of which is leading a Grand Prix for the first time. We were slightly concerned about reliability heading into this race and it proved our undoing in the end. Nonetheless, we came away from the weekend knowing that the car is on the pace. It's always easier to find reliability than speed so we can take heart from our performance. Rubens drove brilliantly and Johnny had every chance of being in the points if things had worked out for us."

Martin Whittaker, Director, Ford Racing, Europe:

"Despite the disappointment of the engine failure for Rubens and the hydraulic failure for Johnny, the whole team should leave Brazil with a real sense of accomplishment. Throughout practice we demonstrated that the performance seen in Melbourne was no fluke and now the Stewart-Ford team has passed another significant milestone that of leading a Grand Prix on merit. The evidence of this weekend shows that podium finishes and perhaps even a win are within reach this year."

Johnny fails to finish again

Johnny did not have a great start, dropping two places before immediately gaining one back as David Coulthard pulled into the pits at the end of lap one. Johnny then proceeded to work his way up through the field, by a mixture of attrition and overtaking, to seventh. The screenshots page shows his great dice with last year's team-mate, Jean Alesi.

Unfortunately, the Stewart-Ford's hydraulics malfunctioned and Johnny was out on lap 14. Team-mate Rubens Barrichello had a great race, until he too went out when his engine let go. Rubens was still leading when ITV's Louise Goodman spoke to Johnny in the pits:

LG: I was hoping not to have to speak to you in the pits so much this year but it's not working out that way, Johnny...

JH: Not at the moment, no. It's a bit frustrating, obviously. But today it was something different. We didn't have an engine problem, we didn't have a fire, but we had a hydraulic problem. I lost all the gears, the throttle and everything. But it's good to see Rubens in No1.

LG: He's doing well, isn't he?

JH: Yeah. The car showed how good it was in qualifying. In race trim we were happy with what we had this morning and it seems to be paying dividends. Hopefully...

Saturday - qualifying

E-mail from Johnny:

Dear all

I disappointed that I did not do better than 10th today but my pace with race fuel is good, and so I will work on my qualifying performance in the next test at Jerez .

Rubens put in a fantastic performance today and I say well done to him. The team of Stewart & Ford have shown that they now working together as one, this was a fantastic showing and I am sure together we move forward.

Hope to get my first points of the year tomorrow, and my performances in  race trim look good for the race.

Hope you all liked the video??

Johnny

Stewart-Ford notes and quotes

• Stewart-Ford driver Rubens Barrichello qualified third for his home Grand Prix - just behind the two McLarens. He wag third fastest after his first and second flying laps before being displaced by Michael Schumacher, Then with one stunning final lap at the end of the session he regained third spot on the grid from the Ferrari driver.
• Johnny Herbert was l0th fastest and believes he is well placed to finish in the points in tomorrow's race.

Johnny Herbert, Car No.17 (SF3-03):

"Rubens' brilliant performance today clearly illustrated what the car and engine is capable of and I'm very happy for Rubens and the whole team. I didn't do as well an should have done but I'm fairly confident of a points finish tomorrow because I have been on the pace with heavy fuel tanks and I am pleased with the set up."

Rubens Barrichello, Car No.16 (SF3-04):

"I feel fantastic. The car felt great throughout the session and its nice for me to come to my home circuit and perform well in front of my fans. I could certainly feel the emotion out there. I just had to tell myself not to wave to the crowd before I got the job done. What I achieved today is a credit to the team and shows that Melbourne was no fluke. I thought I drove the best qualifying lap I possibly could last year and qualified 13th. Today I drove just as good a lap and qualified third so that shows how much we have improved. What we need now in the race is reliability which obviously all teams struggle with at the start of the season. Lets just hope the angels are kind to me tomorrow."

Paul Stewart, SGP Deputy Chairman:

"Certainly it was an exciting and satisfying qualifying session from our point of view. The fact that Rubens was able to respond and and go quicker than Michael Schumacher when it really mattered to take third spot on the grid was brilliant was a brilliant effort. He certainly delivered today. Obviously it would have bean nice to have Johnny higher up on the grid but to have both cars in the top 10 is a tremendous improvement relative to last year."

Martin Whittaker, Director, Ford Racing, Europe:

"Today's performance underlines the true potential Of the Stewart-Ford team and demonstrates more than ever that huge strides have been made over the last few months. It is particularly satisfying to see the gap between ourselves and the pace setters coming down. This is undoubtedly Rubens' day but everyone at Stewart Grand Prix, Cosworth Racing and Visteon can be justifiably proud of their achievements. The statement made in our qualifying pace in clear. Now we must focus on turning top 10 qualifying positions into Championship points."

Jackie Stewart's comments to ITV after qualifying:

"I'm very happy for Rubens, particularly, in front of his own crowd. Very happy also for Johnny Herbert because he struggled a little bit here but, being in the top 10. He was annoyed with himself on his last lap - he felt he should have done a better time. He just fluffed a little bit (in his own language) but , nevertheless, he's put up a great performance all weekend.

Qualifying times

1   HAKKINEN, McLaren-Mercedes: 1'16"568
2   COULTHARD, McLaren Mercedes: + 0'00"147 
3   BARRICHELLO, Stewart Ford: +0'00"737
4   M.SCHUMACHER, Ferrari: + 0'01"010 
5   FISICHELLA, Benetton Supertec: + 0'01"242 
6   IRVINE, Ferrari: + 0'01"275
7   HILL, Jordan Mugen-Honda: + 0'01"316
9   WURZ, Benetton Supertec: + 0'01"766
10 HERBERT, Stewart Ford:  + 0'01"806)

Friday - Practice

Stewart-Ford notes and quotes

• Rubens Barrichello clocked the sixth fastest time in today's practice for his home Grand Prix. He covered a total of 28 laps and was consistently in the top six during the second practice session.
• Johnny Herbert managed 24 laps and was 13th fastest. His running was restricted due to hydraulics failure towards the end of the second session.
• Both hour long sessions took place amid intermittent showers and the drivers could only run on slick tyres during the second practice.

Johnny Herbert, Car No.17 (SF3-03):

"It was unfortunate to have the hydraulic problem during the second session when it was mostly dry. The balance of the car is very good and I'm generally pleased with the car considering the limited amount of running I was able to do. I'm sure with a bit of work on the set-up tomorrow we can move up a few places.

Rubens Barrichello, Car No.16 (SF3-04):

"I'm happy with the way the car is running particularly on heavy fuel tanks and pleased with the improvements we were able to make during the day. The weather was very typical of Interlagos so to be in the top six at the end of the session means that we are in pretty good shape."

Paul Stewart, SGP Deputy Chairman:

"Overall we are pleased with what we achieved today. We maybe could have got more out of the first session had we done a run on slicks towards the end but we showed solid improvement in the second session. Rubens was consistently in the top six in the afternoon which bodes well for tomorrow. Johnny was up there as well before he was forced to stop with a hydraulic failure."

Martin Whittaker, Director, Ford Racing, Europe

"Despite the changing weather conditions we had a good day with both cars running competitively. Rubens and Johnny both worked through a number of set-ups leaving the Stewart-Ford team in a good position to satisfy the objective of competing for top six qualifying positions."

Times from first practice day:

1   HAKKINEN, McLaren-Mercedes: 1'18"881
2   COULTHARD, McLaren Mercedes: 1'19"352 (+ 0'00"471) 
3   M.SCHUMACHER, Ferrari: 1'19"621 (+ 0'00"740) 
4   IRVINE, Ferrari: 1'19"772 (+ 0'00"891)
5   FISICHELLA, Benetton Supertec: 1'20"309 (+ 0'01"428) 
6   BARRICHELLO, Stewart Ford: 1'20"338 (+ 0'01"457) 
7   TRULLI, Prost Peugeot: 1'20"359 (+ 0'01"478)
8   FRENTZEN, Jordan Mugen-Honda: 1'20"431 (+ 0'01"550)
9   PANIS, Prost Peugeot: 1'20"562 (+ 0'01"681) 
10 R.SCHUMACHER, Williams Supertec: 1'20"671 (+ 0'01"790)
11 WURZ, Benetton Supertec: 1'20"779 (+ 0'01"898)
12 ALESI, Sauber Petronas: 1'20"824 (+ 0'01"943)
13 HERBERT, Stewart Ford: 1'20"934 (+ 0'02"053)
14 ZONTA, BAR Supertec: 1'21"009 (+ 0'02"128)
15 DINIZ, Sauber Petronas: 1'21"116 (+ 0'02"235)
16 ZANARDI, Williams Supertec: 1'21"773 (+ 0'02"892)

10 years since Johnny's stunning F1 debut

The 1999 Brazilian GP marks the 10th anniversary of Johnny's stunning debut in F1. Only six months after destroying both his ankles in his horrific F3000 accident, Johnny appeared for Benetton at the Autodromo Nelson Piquet in Rio de Janeiro on the 26th of March 1989. He qualified a creditable 10th, one place and 0.239s ahead of his team-mate, Alessandro Nannini. With one of the grittiest drives ever seen by a Formula 1 newcomer, Johnny took 4th place and 3 points, joining a very small band of F1 drivers who have scored points on their debut.

The 1989/90 edition of Autocourse commented: "Not since Reine Wisell took one of Colin Chapman's Lotus 72s to third place in the 1970 US GP at Watkins Glen has any new driver produced as good a result on his debut as Johnny Herbert achieved at Rio. It was hard to believe that Herbert had last completed a race as long ago as the Monza F3000 event the previous June. The strain of the 106° Brazilian heat left Johnny remarkably unflustered, his only complaint being that his neck felt rather stiff towards the end of the race."

Race Preview from Stewart-Ford

STEWART-FORD NOTES AND QUOTES

• The Stewart-Ford team is approaching the Brazilian Grand Prix in confident mood after a solid opening to the the Formula One season in Melbourne and impressive performances in the test session in Barcelona following the Australian Grand Prix. Rubens and Johnny were first and second respectively over the three days of testing and Rubens' best lap time of 1:20.48 was the quickest by a 1999 Formula One car at the Circuit de Catalunya this year.
• Rubens obviously knows Interlagos well, having spent his childhood close to the Sao Paulo circuit. His best finish in the Brazilian Grand Prix was 4th in 1994 while his best qualifying performance was 2nd in 1996.
• Johnny finished 4th on his Formula One debut in 1989 In Rio de Janeiro. He was also 4th in 1994 at Interlagos. His best qualifying position was 4th in 1996.

JOHNNY HERBERT, Car 17 (SF3-05)

"Interlagos has a good variety of corners, fast and slow so the car should be suited because it has proven that it can adapt pretty easily to the various demands of cornering. The bumps would normally be a problem but once again I'm confident the car will perform well. Barcelona was a bit mixed though we did make a step forward which hopefully will move us closer to McLaren. I think our chances In Brazil are just as good as they were In Melbourne if not better. Looking back at Melbourne, Rubens could have won and I probably would have finished in the points seeing how the race panned out. If we have the same type of race in Brazil, our chances are looking very good."

RUBENS BARRICHELLO, Car 16 (SF3-04)

"Naturally, the Brazilian Grind Prix Is very special for me. Apparently all tickets are sold out and that means the home support will be fantastic. I am feeling very relaxed at the moment. The car ran brilliantly in Melbourne but, more importantly, we were able to improve on that in the Barcelona test. I am confident we can beat our qualifying times from 1998 by at least a second. I am looking forward to having a good weekend for me, the team and my people if we run reliably.

"I have some great memories of Interlagos and I enjoy the circuit a lot. Turn one is extra special for me; firstly because of the name Senna, and secondly because as you enter the first part of the bend the spectators can get a great appreciation of the cars because they are so close and the braking point is so late. The area between the Reta Oposta and Descida do Lago is also dear to my heart. It is where I learned to race karts. As a young boy I would ride my bicycle up from the karting track and sit there watching my Formula One heroes drive past. My best moments at this turn come from the formation lap when I can read the banners saying: 'Go Rubinho Go'. It's then that I realise that I'm at home."

MARTIN WHITAKER, Director Ford Racing Europe:

"A lot of work has been done since the Australian Grand Prix and we know we are further down the road relative to where we were in Melbourne. We have made several modifications to the engines to overcome the problems seen on the grid in Australia and having successfully completed simulated starts at the test in Barcelona we will be looking for two race finishes In Brazil.

"Our competitiveness was confirmed by the three day test in Barcelona where we were fastest. The test also illustrates that there is still come way to go with respect to engine reliability. We suffered several similar failures which, although difficult to prove conclusively, look like they were related to a manufacturing problem which tipped an already difficult area of the engine over the edge.

"For Brazil these issues have been addressed, but the fact remains that we are still at the very early stages of the engine's development and need to complete more race distances before we can be really confident In the engine's reliability. However, it should be clear from our performances so far that we have a good chance of another points finish in Brazil and in particular Rubens must feel he has a better opportunity than ever of doing well In his home event."

GARY ANDERSON, SGP Technical Director

"We head to Brazil with high hopes. It's Rubens' home track which gives us a bit at added momentum but what we need to concentrate on is getting both Johnny and Rubens in the ball park. Obviously we would have liked to have Johnny qualifying higher up than he did In Melbourne and there's no question that with a trouble-free session he would have done so because he was comfortably In the top five on Friday.

"We will be aiming to get both cars up near the front of the grid and I'm confident that we can do that. In Brazil you run a high downforce cutting on the car but because of the high altitude you lose about 10 per cent of the downforce. It's the same for everybody but because we will be running a similar aerodynamic configuration to Melbourne where we undoubtedly had the edge aver a number of the other cars in overall performance, we should expect to be outpacing our closest rivals again.

"The testing In Barcelona has underlined what a good package we have, good traction, good brakes, a strong engine performance-wise, we just need to hit on a streak of reliability. Rubens knows the track better then anyone and he's convinced the new car will be suited to it."

Every effort is made to ensure factual accuracy but
no responsibility is accepted for this information
Last updated 11th April 1999